Green principles for the restoration of Ukraine: the result of the FSC Ukraine roundtable
The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) initiated a discussion on the role of wood in the green recovery of Ukraine, which was attended by representatives of government, state institutions and non-governmental organizations. The discussion covered the areas of state policy and regulation in view of Ukraine's commitments to green recovery, decarbonization of the construction sector and European integration efforts. The participants agreed that green principles should be the basis for Ukraine's reconstruction and need to be clearly defined in state strategic documents and harmonized with European standards. Wood as a renewable and environmentally friendly material should play a significant role and importance in reconstruction projects.
Kyiv, July 23, 2024 — FSC Ukraine organized the first in a series of roundtables "Wood in the Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine: State Policy, Regulation and Green Recovery Goals". The event was held to unlock the potential of wood in the green recovery and development of Ukraine in the face of current challenges.
Thus, the discussion participants emphasized the need to develop clear indicators for the green recovery of the construction sector, including the implementation of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles to deepen cooperation with European partners and attract long-term investments in the Ukrainian economy. Among other important aspects, the creation of a life cycle assessment system for materials, the development of modular construction using wood, the promotion of the use of certified materials, and the integration of environmental solutions into urban planning were noted. There is a need to overcome established stereotypes about wooden houses as short-lived or fire hazardous, as well as to promote training of specialists in modern wooden construction.
The roundtable was attended by Olena Shuliak, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning; Dmytro Kysylevskyi, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development; Natalia Duzhylova, Deputy Chair of the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning of Ukraine; Natalia Oliynyk, Acting Director General of the UkrNDNC; Volodymyr Vlasiuk, Director of the State Enterprise Ukrpromvneshexpertiza; Valeriya Kolomiyets, Director of Restoration Projects at WWF-Ukraine, Orest Kiyko, Head of the Department at the National Technical University of Ukraine, and other leading experts.
"Ukraine's domestic woodworking industry is able to provide a significant portion of building materials for reconstruction. Given the goals of the European Green Deal, which includes Ukraine's achievement of "decarbonization of the construction sector", wood construction projects will be interesting for EU funding," Brian Milakovsky, an expert on economic recovery and sustainable development, began the discussion. "However, there are obstacles on this path, including legal restrictions on the use of wood in high-rise buildings. In addition to changes in public policy, it is important to have public agreement on the perception of wood as a green resource, so it is necessary to strengthen the dialogue between the forest industry and the public".
"We are currently discussing the adoption of a general legislative framework on what the basic principles of Ukraine's recovery will look like. And it is the principle of green recovery and transformation that will be one of the fundamental principles and will be enshrined in the current legislation. Today, we have statistics that 35% of greenhouse gases are generated by the construction sector, in particular, the production of concrete, metal, and plastic. Therefore, the use of wood is indeed an alternative and contributes to achieving the goal of decarbonizing construction", said Olena Shuliak, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning.
Dmytro Kysylevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, noted that the recovery process is a huge opportunity to expand the domestic market for construction materials, including wood, for decades to come with a positive effect on the country's economy.
"The first step is to speed up the adaptation of the regulatory framework to European standards. However, there is a technical barrier – the lack of laboratory facilities for issuing certificates of conformity to quality and safety standards, as well as for creating declarations under the new law", said Natalia Duzhylova, Deputy Head of the State Inspectorate of Architecture and Urban Development of Ukraine. Ms. Duzhylova also emphasized that the revision of building codes is already taking place with due regard to environmental criteria, but it is important to understand that European green building standards, such as LEED, BREEAM, Active House, DGNB, have been developed over decades. Ukraine has already developed the first version of the green building standard for public buildings, which takes into account the capabilities of the domestic market and the provisions of European standards, in particular NEB.
"Through dialogue, we find common ground between legislators, government agencies and civil society on green reconstruction. There is already a solid foundation for using wood for these purposes, as 45% of Ukraine's forests and more than 400 woodworking enterprises are FSC-certified, but the products are mostly exported. It is expected that the introduction of green building criteria, including incentives and harmonization of standards, will help develop the domestic market, shift to responsible consumption, and ultimately facilitate European integration. The reconstruction and development of our country are inextricably linked to wood due to its ability to regenerate, carbon storage potential, recyclability, low emissions and versatility", summarized Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC Ukraine.
This event laid the foundation for the formation of important partnerships and coalitions necessary to achieve the goals of greening Ukraine's recovery. Having created an effective platform for dialogue, FSC Ukraine plans to continue the series of roundtables, ensuring further discussion and deepening cooperation between all stakeholders.
The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting environmentally and socially responsible forest management and ensuring the sustainable use of forest resources. Voluntary FSC certification covers 89 countries on an area of more than 161 million hectares. As of July 2024, 4.73 million hectares of forests were certified in Ukraine and 99 forest management system certificates were issued. The timber business is covered by 417 supply chain certificates. FSC, in particular, promotes the transformational processes of green and circular economy development as part of green recovery and is an official partner of the NEB.
